One Piece Storybook: The Little Mermaid
by cuethepulse-old
Summary: In which I join the mer!Sanji trend. A retelling of The Little Mermaid, starring our favorite trashtalking chef and a marimohead prince. ZoSan. Now complete.
1. Parts I and II

Title: One Piece Storybook—The Little Mermaid

Disclaimer: One Piece, The Little Mermaid, and their characters do not belong to me.

A/N: Usually, when I use fairy tales in my writing, I like to stick to the original story. But this one is a mix of the original and the Disney version because for one thing, it gave me a wider range of characters to use, and for another, it gave me the possibility of a happier ending.

**I.**

The waters of the All Blue sea had inspired many stories among the men who sailed them; myths, as mysterious and magical as the deep ocean itself. It'd been said that there existed—in the far, far depths of the water—a kingdom, vast and glorious and golden. There was a rumor that it was ruled by a mighty man, whose anger caused the storms that sunk ships into the sea. And there have been sightings—recorded by young sailors who were still getting used to their sea-legs, and drunkards who spent too much time slumped over the docks—of beautiful creatures with the upper body of a human, and the majestic fin of a fish, covered in shining scales that reflected the rays of the sun and sparkled like the most precious of jewels.

Some people lived for these stories, going down to the ocean's shore every day to search the waters for the merfolk they saw in their dreams. And others dismissed the stories, thinking them to be mere fanciful ideas for children and artists. But most people fell into a category in-between. They accepted the stories as entertainment, and they neither believed nor doubted them. They didn't obsess over them, but rather, waited and saw for themselves if there was truth in them or not. Until they saw a mermaid, they would not say if they existed or not.

Prince Zoro was one of those people. So when the waters of All Blue gently rocked against the wood of his ship, he didn't look down and imagine an entrance to some mystical place inhabited by strange beings. He saw it as water, water his ship was crossing, water of an ocean like any other. And he listened to his right-hand-man, Usopp, as he spoke wildly of the beautiful mermaids he'd not only spotted, but proposed to; he listened as he told him the tales—even though he'd heard them many times before—but, unlike him, he did not cast expectant glances overboard and did not hope to see beyond the waves into the kingdom that may lie below.

**II.**

King Zeff felt a bad mood coming on. He was _tired _because he'd just wasted most of his energy kicking some of Krieg's shark crewout of the shiny, golden halls of Barantica, and he hadn't had the time to fix dinner. He knew better than to rely on his three daughters to cook—the middle one, Nami, was typically too busy shopping in the undersea marketplace to cook; the older one, Robin, (though very good with her hands) was more interested in perusing the ruins in the outskirts of the kingdom; and the youngest one, Vivi, (though a sweet girl and a hard worker) was far too clumsy for the job.

That left Sanji, King Zeff's only son, who actually enjoyed cooking and had fallen into the routine of preparing meals regularly. Until recently. King Zeff didn't know why, but he was going to find out.

"WHOOOOA, Sanji! That looks GOOD!"

Sanji smirked, but did not cease his finger's deft ministrations at Luffy's outburst of praise. He'd been going up to the surface to cook for the seagull for a few days now, even though going to the surface was forbidden under his father's rule. Sanji didn't care. As long as there was someone in need of food, he wouldn't dream of withholding it from them.

Chopper swam nervously at his side; he always felt uneasy when sneaking off with Sanji. Especially since the first time they met Luffy, the seagull wanted to eat him and drooled all over his scales.

"Sanji, shouldn't we be getting back?" He asked, flipping his fins anxiously. "It's getting close to dinnertime and the king is bound to notice—"

"Ah, Chopper, don't worry so much," Sanji replied easily. He spared a moment to give the fish a smile. "But I should thank you, shouldn't I? You're always looking out for me."

Chopper flushed bright red and started to swim circles around the blond merman, distracted by the compliment.

"You punk," he grinned, "that doesn't make me happy at all!"

Pleased that he had successfully diverted the fish's attention, Sanji quickly added some finishing touches to the seagull's meal before placing it proudly on the rock before him. Luffy's eyes grew big, tongue hanging eagerly out of his beak; a split-second later he dove his face into the food and started to devour it.

"Oi," Sanji snapped, "how many times have I told you? You're supposed to _savor_ it, stupid!"

The seagull lifted his head and grinned at Sanji, bits of food sticking his feathers messily.

"It's GOOD!" He proclaimed in appreciation, before returning to his ravishing.

Sanji rolled his eyes, only slightly annoyed and ultimately satisfied. He ducked back into the water and turned to Chopper, who was watching Luffy eat with a mixture of awe and horror.

"All right, Chopper. It's time to head back."

"You bet it is, buddy," agreed a smug, familiar voice. "Busted!"

Sanji and Chopper turned around to come face to face with the royal advisor—and crustacean entertainer—Franky, who had obviously been sent by the king to find his wayward son. Sanji scowled.

"_Shit_."

"You were WHERE?!"

Chopper squeaked/yelped in terror and hid behind his companion's fin. Sanji frowned, unfazed, at his father whose eyes were dangerously narrow with anger as he roared, "You know very well that traveling to the surface is forbidden! It's too dangerous! If you had been spotted, you could've been captured or killed—is your head completely empty, eggplant?!"

"I wasn't anywhere near any humans!" Sanji protested vehemently. "And even if I had been, I would know how to protect myself! I'm not a shitty old man like you are!"

Sanji didn't even have time to duck before Zeff's large and powerful fin struck him in the face, knocking him off balance and sending him, in a flurry of bubbles and rushing water, to crash into one of the castle pillars.

"You are NEVER to go to the surface again, do you hear me?!" Zeff bit, words laced in poison and fury. "Do you understand?!"

Shakily, Sanji steadied himself, his humiliated glare fixed anywhere but on the king as he muttered, "Yeah. I got it."

Chopper and Franky cautiously approached the slightly stewing Sanji as King Zeff swam angrily from the room.

"Are you okay, Sanji?" Chopper asked, a bit of his concern dissipating when Sanji nodded at him.

"Sorry about that, bro," Franky offered, receiving a not-very-nice look in response. "Hey, orders are orders! But look, what do you need the surface for anyway? You've got a million super things to see right here in the ocean! Right?" He nudged Chopper, who hesitated only briefly before nodding vigorously. "Listen to me, Sanji. The human world is a mess. Life under the sea is better than _anything_ they've got up there!"

Just as it sounded like the crab might go into a song, King Zeff's three daughters swam through the room and Sanji's head quickly jerked up in attention.

"You know, you're absolutely right, Franky. Where else would see something as beautiful as _that_?" He grinned, swimming eagerly over to his sisters and calling out affectionately, "Oh Nami-swan! Robin-chan, Vivi-chan! How was your day?"

"Yeah…" Franky watched him go with a bit of a frown. "But…that's just weird, bro."


	2. Parts III and IV

**III.**

The waves of the All Blue were high and rough. The water was dark, the light of the sun vanished from the sky which was now covered in rapidly growing storm clouds. The ship-hands rushed to and fro across the deck, sliding on the rain-slick wood and shouting rushed and breathless orders. Prince Zoro held tight to the ship's railing, the three golden earrings that decorated his ear rustling in the wind as he stared out at the angry sea.

"It's the wrath of the underwater king!" Usopp wailed at his side, shaking from fear and the fierce rocking of the ship. "We're done for! His power is known for sinking eight thousand ships at sea—"

"Shut up!" Zoro barked over a clap of distant thunder. "Pull yourself together!"

"Y-Yes, sire!" Usopp tried to puff out his chest in a manly manner, despite his knees knocking. "I am, after all, the brave Usopp—" He cut himself off as lightning lit up the sky and thunder sounded loud in their ears. The sea tossed the ship carelessly along, the vicious wind practically tearing apart the sails. A shout was heard from one end of the deck where a lantern was knocked over and flames leapt from where they spread quickly over the wood. They were in deep trouble.

The beauty of his sisters only distracted Sanji from his thoughts for so long. He was so caught up in being torn between his father's strict rule and his desire to feed the hungry—no matter where they may be—that he never would have noticed anything, had Chopper not paused in his swimming to wonder aloud, "What could _that_ be?"

Sanji stopped and looked up where he could see just barely see the light of a red and orange glow right above the surface of the water.

"I don't know," he admitted after a moment, his curiosity more than a little piqued. "Maybe we should—"

"No!" Chopper gasped. "You heard what the king said, Sanji!"

"Right, right." Sanji nodded, but Chopper eyed him suspiciously. "No, you're right. We'll just leave it alone."

"Good," Chopper said, satisfied, as he continued swimming. "'Cause, you know, Sanji…I know you're the king's son and all, but in a lot of cultures the royal _do_ kill their young. Maybe even eat them, too! And wouldn't that suck, Sanji?" He waited. "Sanji?" He looked around worriedly and his eyes went wide when he saw the familiar fin of his comrade steadily moving towards the surface. "OH NO, SANJI!"

A couple of ship-hands were hurrying to lower the life boats onto the troubled waters. Others were trying to put out the fire; some were attempting, in vain, to continue steering the ship through the storm. Usopp, clinging to the mast, called out to the prince in desperation, "What should we do, sire?!"

Zoro frowned slightly, his mouth set in tight line and his brow furrowed as he surveyed the chaos on board. But before he could answer, a particularly strong wave pitched the ship roughly to the side, and Prince Zoro was knocked unceremoniously over the railing and into the sea.

"SIRE!" Usopp screamed in horror. "MAN OVERBOARD!"

Sanji had been watching intently as the bright, colorful flames spread along the large wooden thing that was moving unevenly atop the waves, when the man fell into the water with a nearby splash that shook Sanji out of his trance. He ducked beneath the water to see the man swimming frantically…in the opposite direction of the ship. Sanji wasn't sure whether to pity him or laugh at him. When his body eventually went slack, air bubbles leaving his open mouth in a rush, Sanji swam to him quickly, grabbing him under his arms. He cringed—the man's muscles and boots made him a much heavier weight than Sanji was used to lifting—and started pulling him up to the surface. By that time he could no longer see the wooden thing the man had fallen from; all he could do was keep a good grip on the hard, wet body against him, and swim until he reached shore.

**IV.**

The sun was warming the calm waters of the glistening sea when Chopper finally found Sanji on a sandy beach, watching over an unconscious man with green hair.

"Sanji?" Even if his slightly worn out state, the fish knew that this was no good. "What's going on? Who—who is that?"

Sanji shrugged his shoulders, a little tiredly, but did not move from where he was seated on the shore, his hands palms-down on the ground, fingers curling into the sand as if to stop him from touching the bronze skin of the man beside him.

"Some idiot who almost got himself drowned. His head looks like a marimo, doesn't it?"

"He's," Chopper breathed, somewhat awed and also terrified. "He's a human."

"Hn."

"Sanji, he's a _human_."

"Hn."

"He could _eat_ us!"

"Hn…"

"_Sanji_!"

There was a familiar flapping of wings and then a squawk of recognition as Luffy landed ungracefully from the sky and onto the sand.

"Hey guys! What a storm, huh? Whoa! Who's this guy?" The seagull squinted curiously at the man and leaned close, his beak almost touching his forehead. Chopper swam in a circle, anxious and uncertain.

"Be careful! Sanji, we need to get away before he wakes up! What if he sees you?"

One look at Sanji told Chopper that the merman wasn't really listening. His visible blue eye was focused intently on the man with a marimo head, glazed over with something glossy like concern…something that Chopper rarely ever saw in his friend's eyes, and never for such a lengthy period of time.

Luffy, oblivious, pulled back a bit and grinned—as much as a seagull can, anyway.

"He looks interesting!"

Chopper looked back at the man, in particular at the muscles of the slowly heaving chest that showed through the wet white shirt.

"He looks strong!"

The line of Sanji's mouth turned down a bit.

"He looks stupid."

Chopper saw Sanji's fingers unclench in the sand; the hand hesitated momentarily before lifting to touch the green hair, sifting through it like it was something precious.

"Maybe he needs mouth to mouth," Chopper offered.

Sanji tore his hand away from the green hair like it was on fire.

"You've _got_ to be kidding."

"Actually," Luffy said, leaning close to the man again. "I think he's asleep."

"Asleep?" Chopper squeaked. "You mean he's not dying or anything?!"

"_What_?" Sanji's gaze hardened as he also leaned down close to the man, and, indeed, he could hear faint snores emitting from him.

"What a funny guy!" Luffy laughed, stepping back. Chopper sighed, feeling relieved for some reason.

"St…stupid human," he muttered, irritated. "Making me worry like that…" In one swift movement, Sanji twisted on the sand, raising his fin up and bringing it back down hard on the man's chest. "Shitty marimo!"

The man's brow furrowed and he grunted in pain, stirring from his peaceful slumber.

"Sanji!" Chopper cried, horrified. "You've woken him!"

But Sanji was already slipping back into the water, grabbing Chopper by the fin and pulling him along.

Zoro sat up and squinted, using his hand to shade his eyes from the sudden, bright sunlight. He thought he'd heard a voice—and why was there a pain in his chest?—but all he saw was a gull flying away and the blue waters of the sea.

"Weird," he murmured, looking around. "I could've sworn I heard someone…"

"Sire! You're alive!"

Zoro stood and turned to see Usopp come running down to the beach, arms outstretched and black curls fluttering behind him; it made for a sweet image, although they both knew he would chicken out before he even got close enough to hug the prince.

"We're here, sire!" Usopp announced as he motioned with his head for Zoro to follow him back the way he came. "Princess Tashigi's castle is on that hill right there. She saw you on the shore and was about to have you arrested before she realized who you were—Oi, sire, _this_ way!"


	3. Parts V and VI

**V.**

Over the next couple of days, Sanji's sisters could tell there was something going on with him. He was always muttering under his breath—sometimes nothing more than a crude string of curses—and always looked angry, frustrated, as if suffering from a perpetual migraine. His movements were sharp and jerky, and the smiles he reserved for them seemed force, his praises of their beauty sounded hollow. They knew quite well that there was only one thing that could bring their brother so much trouble and grief: Sanji was in love.

It was painfully obvious that when, one night when Sanji was absent for dinner, King Zeff inquired gruffly, "What's going on with that son of mine?" the three sisters exchanged knowing glances.

"You mean you haven't realized yet, father?" Robin chuckled politely.

"Realized what?"

"It's the most obvious thing in the sea," Nami said with a clever twinkle in her eye.

"_What _is?"

"Father," Vivi started kindly, smiling, "Sanji is in love."

Zeff went utterly stiff.

"In…love?"

The king knew this would happen one day. Sanji was a growing merman, after all. He was bound to find an interest in something other than cooking eventually. But, well, Sanji was the heir to the Barantica throne, and he couldn't fall in love with just anybody. It had to be the right kind of mermaid—one that was classy and elegant, would be a good queen, one that would produce offspring worthy of a kingdom.

He had to know who it was, but he couldn't ask his son outright. They just didn't talk about things like that. It was embarrassing. So, he summoned Franky.

Chopper was swimming about happily, minding his own business, when he suddenly found himself in a bit of a predicament.

"So, the prince hasn't been _anywhere_ in the past three days?"

Chopper struggled a little against the pincer/claw that held his fin, but the crab's grip was firm.

"Nope, nowhere!"

"Absolutely nowhere?"

"Absolutely!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! He hasn't been anywhere! Not since the night of the storm--!"

He froze, eyes widening. Busted.

"…And what happened on the night of the storm?"

Sanji was in his room, flipping through a cookbook he was trying to read. He was NOT, by any means, thinking of a prince. Named Zoro. He was NOT thinking of Prince Zoro because said Prince Zoro infuriated him. What kind of prince falls off his own ship and then falls asleep when he gets rescued? He must've been a complete moron. He wasn't _worth _thinking about. He was also NOT thinking about how annoyingly attractive he was, or how nice his hair felt, or anything like that.

Whatever thoughts he was NOT having quickly dissipated when the door to his room was knocked down by a seething King Zeff.

"Oi, old geezer, what do you think you're doing?" Sanji snapped, angry at this breach of privacy.

"What is this I hear about you saving a human?! Who was he?!"

Oh shit. Sanji tried to keep his voice calm, cool, steady—tried not to be too aggressive or hostile, too suspicious.

"He was no one. Just some idiot who fell overboard."

This explanation did not seem to soothe the king at all. He roared, "What did I tell you about going to the surface?!"

"He was _drowning_!"

"Then you should've let him drown!"

"I couldn't do that!"

"Why not?!"

"Because--!" Sanji stopped with a hard frown and averted his eyes, unable to answer.

This pause—whether it was from hesitation or uncertainty, anger or rebellion—only served to make King Zeff angrier, as it made clear that his worries and fears were true.

"Get out."

"What?"

"I said, get out! Get lost! If you care about humans so much, then go! I don't want you here! Dinner is always late and your cooking isn't even _that_ good! _Leave_!"

He'd barely finished his yelling when Sanji was pushing past him, tailfin flicking furiously as he went.

"Sanji?" Chopper asked, surprised when the merman swam by.

But Sanji didn't stop, just kept going, even as hot tears dripped down his cheeks, instantly swept away by the undersea current.

Chopper and Franky, feeling guilty, both caught up to Sanji eventually, when his swimming had slowed and he was resting silently on a small stretch of reef.

"Sanji?"

He glanced at them once with disinterest.

"Go back to the palace," Franky said. "Give the old man time to chill. You don't belong out here, bro."

Sanji didn't answer, slowly and aimlessly wringing his hands in the lap of his fin. Chopper swam up to look him in the face, to try and hold his attention.

"Sanji, what are you going to do?"

_If you care about humans so much…_

Sanji's hands clenched into fists and he met Chopper's stare suddenly, decidedly.

"I'm going to see the sea witch."

**VI.**

Kureha the sea witch lived in a precariously placed cove at the bottom of an underwater trench. She had lived there for many, many, many years perfecting her potions and spells. It was rumored that she could do just about anything, but very few went to her, because as powerful as she was, she was also very frightening.

When Sanji entered the witch's cove, he just missed being hit in the head by an empty liquor bottle

"Who is it?" A creaking, cackling voice demanded to know. "What do you want?"

"My name's Sanji," he said, undeterred, despite Chopper and Franky's wary whispers of caution behind him. "I heard that you can do almost anything."

"I can," the voice laughed. "What is it you need?"

"I need to know if—" Here his confidence faltered, not out of fear of her, but fear of what it was he desired. "—if you can turn me into a human."

"A _human_?"

There was a faint sound of clattering and the peaceful water stirred, and then appeared the sea witch, dark purple tentacles moving restlessly about her. She took a swig from the new bottle she held in her hand, swallowing the liquid audibly. She eyed Sanji carefully as she lowered the rim of the bottle from her mouth.

"Why would you, prince, want to be a human?"

"I—" Sanji wavered, then frowned. "I don't need to explain myself to you!"

"Hey!" Kureha scowled back at him, pointing the bottle at him threateningly. "You show some respect for a young woman like me!"

"_Who's_ a young woman?"

Sanji ducked in order to dodge the bottle.

"I don't _need_ to help you, you know."

"Okay, okay!" Sanji straightened up. "I—There's this guy I kept from drowning a few days ago. A—human guy. And I—"

"Ah," Kureha smirked with understanding and amusement. "I see, then." She looked around the cove thoughtfully, before she moved about, tentacles writhing swiftly, taking down vials of mysterious substances and mixing them together in an intact empty bottle. "All right, prince. This potion you will drink, and it will give you a full human body. You will have this body for a period of three days—"

"_What_?"

"Fine, three weeks. You have that much time to get your lover boy to kiss you. If he doesn't, you will turn into sea foam."

"Sea foam?" Sanji cringed.

Kureha nodded and looked at Sanji with her eyebrow raised. She held out the bottle.

"You still want this?"

"Yes," Sanji replied, reaching out for the potion.

She jerked the bottle away just before his fingers reached it.

"Now hold on. I do demand payment."

"But I didn't bring any—"

"Money isn't the only form of payment."

Sanji eyed her, skeptical.

"What is it you want?"

The smile that spread across her face was wicked, pure wicked; it was a smile so conniving that it made Sanji fully understand why so many merpeople kept their distance from the sea witch.

"What I want from you is…your voice."

Sanji's eyes widened, his hand going to his throat on instinct. Behind him, Chopper and Franky gasped and shook their heads violently.

"But…without my voice, how can I…?"

"Trust me, kid," Kureha snapped. "In your case, it'll help you more than hurt you. Now do we have a deal?"

Sanji didn't answer right away. He closed his eyes, thought of his beautiful sisters who he might never see again; thought of his father who had raised him his whole life and who, despite his tendency to be harsh with his words, Sanji owed so much to. But then he thought of that foreign skin and green hair beneath his fingertips; thought of the way it felt to hold the human prince's body against him. He made his decision, and with Chopper and Franky watching with a mixture of hope and fear as he met the sea witch's eyes, he said, "Yes."

Kureha's grin was back and she thrust the bottle into his hand.

"Then drink up."

Sanji raised the bottle to his lips, tilted his head back, and let the potion pour into his mouth and down his throat, swallowing heavily while Chopper and Franky looked on, horrified.

"Oh, I should warn you, it might sting a little."

Sanji dropped the bottle, a sharp stabbing feeling shooting up his body. He doubled over in pain, groaning, gasping even as he could feel his throat going tight and sore, "A _sting_?! It feels like—like—"

"Like being gored up your ass?" Kureha smirked. "You might wanna get used to that."

Through the pain—and perhaps adding it—Sanji could feel his body changing. His fin was disappearing and was being replaced by two long, pale, separate limbs; there was a new, strange feeling in his chest, something stretching, expanding, and the suddenly contracting. He heard the sea witch cackle and Chopper called out his name before his eyes fell shut and water surged into his open mouth.


	4. Part VII

**VII.**

When Sanji came to, the bright sun was shining into his eyes and there was warm sand against the skin of his back. He sat up slowly and looked down at his naked self, awed by himself. He experimented moving, bending his legs at the knees, wriggling his toes. He inhaled deeply—too deeply—and almost gagged at the overwhelming smell of salty beach air.

"Sanji!" Chopper popped his head out of the water's surface, smiling with relief. Franky scuttled out of the sea and onto the beach, regarding the blond man's new body curiously. "Are you okay? How does it feel? Can you stand?"

Sanji regarded his legs again and frowned slightly, perhaps with determination and perhaps with confusion. Shakily, he rose to his feet, marveling at the odd feeling of having to balance his weight. He took a step forward and slipped, or tripped, and ended up on his back, scowling into the sunlight.

"Ah, are you okay?" Chopper asked worriedly. "Sanji?"

"Chill with the questions," Franky said, nudging Chopper with his claw. "He can't talk, remember?"

Sanji sat up, too quickly, and felt a little lightheaded. He stood again and took his time shuffling his new feet along the sand, slowly but surely pacing along the stretch of shore. After a moment, the familiar flapping of wings sounded overhead and a pair of slacks landed ungracefully on Sanji's head.

"I got you a present!" Luffy laughed as he landed on the beach beside Sanji, who was looking quizzically at the pair of pants. "I've seen humans walk around naked before," the seagull offered in explanation, "and they only end up getting slapped." He stepped closer to water, to join Chopper and Franky in watching Sanji struggle into the foreign article of clothing. "I think this'll be fun, don't you?" Chopper and Franky looked at him with wide, incredulous eyes. "What?"

"It's hopeless," Franky sighed, shaking his head.

When Prince Zoro had a lot on his mind, he tended to take his royal weights and train on the beach. And with his father making plans to arrange for him a marriage to Princess Tashigi, he _certainly_ had a lot on his mind this morning. Training on the beach would help, he knew, to clear his thoughts and help him to relax.

Usually, the beach was empty so early in the morning, so he was reasonably a little surprised when he saw a man walking back and forth—somewhat awkwardly—along the shore, a little ways off. Lean, tight form, chest bare, blond hair ruffled by the breeze, dark slacks concealing a pair of the longest and most appealing legs the prince had ever seen. He swallowed and told himself pay the other—_gorgeous_—man no mind to simply train as usual. He was a prince, after all; he had the right to ignore other people if he wanted to.

When Sanji saw the prince approaching, he froze and turned to look at his three animal companions with a horrified expression.

"What's wrong, Sanji?" Chopper asked. "You have to meet him, don't you? You're ready, right?"

Sanji shook his head vigorously.

"Ah, come on!" Franky tried. "You've totally got the hang of those stems!"

Sanji stared at him as if he was crazy. Luffy laughed kindly.

"Oh, Sanji! All you need is a push in the right direction!" And he promptly head butted Sanji's new legs, pushing him forward and knocking him flat onto the sand. The blond raised his head and sent a murderous glare the seagull's way, and then—

"Hey, you all right?"

Sanji tried to control the heat he felt rushing to his face—whether it was from the embarrassment of his position or from hearing that low voice for the first time, he wasn't sure—and met the curiously concerned eyes of Prince Zoro. He nodded firmly, despite the erratic way his heart was pumping, and got to his feet without shaking _too_ much.

"You're not familiar," Zoro said, eyes raking over his body searchingly. "Where are you from?"

Sanji opened his mouth to answer before remembering that he couldn't. Zoro arched an eyebrow.

"What, can't speak?"

Sanji couldn't help the way his eyes narrowed at the question, but he still managed to shake his head "no".

"Oh." The prince scratched at the back of his neck, feeling only slightly ashamed.

A wave crashing noisily onto the shore caught Sanji's attention and he brightened suddenly. Zoro watched in confusion as the blond man pointed at the water, then to himself.

"The…ocean... You…were…what?" He frowned as the other man started to make odd motions with his hands. "What, swimming? A shark? You were chased by a shark? Or an…octopus? "

Sanji decided that his prince was an idiot, and this whole thing might have been a mistake. He sighed inaudibly and began making his motions more extreme, but when he tried to throw his legs into the mix, he tripped rather ungracefully over his own feet and fell…right into the prince's arms. Their wide eyes met for a lovely, awkward moment as Zoro held him, until Zoro spoke, sounding slightly unsure of him and not very prince-like at all.

"Look, uh, let me take you back to my palace, okay? You're obviously lost or something, right? We'll figure out what to do there."

Sanji nodded, feeling pretty thrilled at this lucky turn of events. But then the strong, handsome prince scooped him into his arms. And Sanji decided he did not like that. He didn't want to be treated like some frail, fragile little thing, thanks very much. And so he did the first thing he could think of. He kicked him. And it turned out he could kick pretty well for someone with a new pair of legs.

Chopper sighed loudly, unsure if he was relieved or even more concerned.

"No good can come of this," Franky groaned.

"Huh?" Luffy grinned and laughed heartily. "I think it's getting interesting!"


	5. Part VIII

**VIII.**

After a brief struggle, Sanji and Prince Zoro managed to make it to the castle, albeit a bit battered and bruised. The prince announced that the mute blond man had washed ashore after a shipwreck, and was to be treated as a welcome guest…despite how violent he may behave. If anyone found this strange, they didn't have the guts to question it. Usopp only remarked that the man's slacks looked remarkably like the pair of his own trousers that had recently gone missing off the clothesline.

Sanji soon learned how to use this freedom to his advantage and took over the kitchen. The foreign human ingredients intrigued and delighted him, and he ended up spending several hours a day experimenting. Prince Zoro was often the taste-tester of these concoctions, though his doubtful servants were concerned about his well-being and tended to try and dissuade him. Ultimately, however, it seemed that the prince had firmly decided that Sanji was to be his companion, and very little could sway him after he'd made up his mind.

Sanji was—obviously—pleased by Zoro's decision, even though he soon found that the two of them disagreed on almost everything and were prone to engage in skirmishes at any given time. At first, he worried about how the fights would affect his chances of winning Zoro's heart. But eventually, he came to enjoy them too much to care. He enjoyed the rush of adrenaline they supplied, the powerful and heady feeling he got when he bested his green-haired opponent, and the way it brought him in close physical contact with the prince on a daily basis. And judging by how ready and willing Zoro always was, not to mention the primal and almost heated glint in his eyes, it seemed as if the feeling was mutual.

Chopper and Franky, being sea creatures, could not keep constant watch on Sanji and his progress with the human prince. They were left but no choice but to put Luffy of watching over them. The seagull considered this a task of great importance, though his attention span was short and he was easily distracted by things that were shiny or smelled good. But whenever the two men stepped outside the castle walls, he was there, circling above. And at night, when Sanji retired to the room he had been given, Luffy was waiting in the window to decipher any messages the former merman had about his day.

Things were progressing at a fair speed when the end of the first week drew near. And on the last day of that first week, it looked as if the situation couldn't even get any better.

Zoro had shown his guest the majority of his kingdom, but there was a lagoon that Sanji had overheard a couple of maids talking about, and he'd expressed an interest in seeing it. On that last day of the first week, Zoro arranged for the two of them to go on a boat ride to see the lagoon.

There could not have been a time or place more romantic. The lagoon was dark, shaded by the large and leafy foliage. Dragonflies were buzzing, their wings glistening against the surface of the lazy water. The boat moved at a leisurely pace and, except for the seagull that had been following them all day, they were alone.

"So—" When speaking to his companion, Zoro almost always started out his sentences with "so", because he still didn't know his name. "Does it meet your expectations?"

Sanji nodded, watching as he let the fingers of one of his hands trail along in the water. He did love the prince and he was glad to be living on land with him. But he did miss the ocean terribly. He tried not to think too often of his father and sisters under the sea. He didn't know what Chopper and Franky had told them, if they'd told them anything. And he'd felt guilty from the beginning that he hadn't even said goodbye.

Zoro, watching the unhappy emotions play out on his comrade's face, frowned slightly and tried to think of something to distract him from whatever unpleasant thoughts he was thinking.

"So, I almost feel bad, not knowing your name. Let me try to guess it."

Sanji looked up at him, then, eyebrow arched in skepticism.

"Oi, don't look at me like that. Is it…Freddie?"

Sanji allowed a silent snicker and Zoro, pleased to see such a change of expression, continued.

"Percival?" He smirked at the face his blond companion made in response. "All right, no. Is it Bob?" He ducked the kick he almost received that time. "What, is that your way of telling me to give it up?"

Sanji nodded in obvious relief and Zoro rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"All right, all right."

The hint of a handsome smile tugged at Sanji's lip and the prince felt a swell of something both wonderful and frightening fluttering in his chest.

The seagull, apparently hungry, dove suddenly to snatch a fish out of the water. In doing so, he jerked the boat, just a bit, but just enough to throw the two occupants slightly off balance, so that they needed to grab hold of each other to steady themselves. Their eyes met and their hands, gripping one another's arms, did not move. Zoro swallowed, finding himself quite unsure of himself once more, and realizing with a touch of wonder that he wanted nothing to more than to stay this way, in this boat, with the other man's warm hands on him. Or rather, there was _one_ thing that he wanted more.

Zoro slowly started to lean forward and Sanji, eager to seize the lovely opportunity, did the same. His heart pounded as the moment he'd been waiting for came closer and closer, his eyes falling shut as he felt the warm of Zoro's breath against his lips…

"FISH!"

Sanji's eyes snapped open when he heard Luffy's squawk of glee right by his ear, only to have his vision filled with lagoon water as the boat was turned over in the seagull's enthusiasm. The moment was officially over.

Zoro was training late that night. He didn't go down to the beach, since it was so dark, but rather to the castle gardens. Which just happened to be beneath his new companion's window. His new companion…who he'd very nearly kissed. Zoro tried to push that thought aside. He tried to focus on how many push-ups he'd done, how many more he needed to do, how appealing the other man had looked with his eyes closed and his lips parted—

"Damn."

Zoro stopped, wiping sweat from his brow, and looked up at the bedroom window. He couldn't figure out how, exactly, this strange man with no voice and dangerous legs had managed to capture him so quickly, so completely. He didn't mind the attraction, but he wasn't sure what to do about it. He hadn't meant to try and kiss him—the moment had just felt right. And he hadn't seemed to mind.

"But…what do I do now?"

"Sire?"

Zoro turned to see Usopp standing behind him and cursed inwardly. He couldn't believe he'd been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't heard him approach.

"What is it, Usopp?"

"I just thought you might like to know the latest on the marriage arrangement."

Zoro stared at him blankly.

"What marriage arrangement?"

"…Y-_Your_ marriage arrangement…sire…"

"Oh." Zoro frowned. "I forgot about that."

"How could you forget about that?!" Usopp sighed loudly in exasperation when the prince shrugged. "Let me refresh your memory, sire. For the past few months, a proposal for marriage has been in the works for you and the princess Tashigi. Remember—the princess we were on our way to see on the night of the storm? And we just got word tonight that the princess has accepted the proposal!" Usopp waited for some kind of reaction, and got none. "Sire," he prodded, "you're getting _married_!"

That got him a reaction, but not the one he expected. Prince Zoro's face fell and he quickly turned his head, looking away from him, looking up at an open bedroom window.


	6. Part IX

**IX.**

While the next several days of wedding plans went by like a blur to Prince Zoro, they felt long and hellish to Sanji. The two men were almost constantly kept apart, so that the prince could be properly measured and fitted and prodded and bothered. Sanji's presence would only serve as a distraction. He ended up spending most of the time in his room where Luffy tried, in vain, to comfort him.

The significance of this turn of events had not been lost on the seagull. As soon as the wedding was announced, he'd hurriedly passed the message on to every creature he came in contact with, until it reached Chopper and Franky. With this news, their concern for Sanji grew with each passing day, until it was the third and final week, and they sadly abandoned any hope of seeing their friend—as something other than sea foam—ever again.

On the fourth day of the third week, the waters of All Blue were extremely violent, for King Zeff was in a considerably foul mood. The search party he'd sent out to scour the seas for his son had returned with absolutely nothing. He was furious, though not at the search party and not at his son. He was furious at himself. He regretted the angry way he'd tossed Sanji out and then forced himself to forget about the boy's existence for many days. Now he was gone, and dinner was awful, because his daughters made horrible cooks. He didn't know what to do.

But his daughters did. All it took was a gentle coo of, "Chopper, Franky, could we have a word with you?" and the two instantly burst into tears, crying something about legs and sea foam, which wasn't terribly helpful. But when they led the three girls to the sea witch's lair, everything became frighteningly clear.

"No."

"'No'?" Nami frowned at the sea witch, warily eyeing her tentacles. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

"I mean," Kureha started, while rummaging around for a new bottle, "no, there is not a way to call off the potion's spell. Your brother knew that when he agreed to it, so leave him to whatever his fate may be, and move on."

"But you don't understand," Vivi said. "The prince is getting married! Sanji doesn't have a chance now!"

"There must be something a witch of your caliber could do for him," Robin implored.

Kureha grinned when she found a bottle, uncorking it and taking a swig. When she lowered it from her mouth, she looked thoughtfully at the three girls.

"Well…I suppose there is something I can do. But I require payment."

Nami's expression darkened at that.

"How much?"

"No, no, I don't want money."

The money-loving princess smiled with relief.

"But I will take all your hair."

"_What_?!"

"Yes," Kureha affirmed, nodding decidedly. "You see, I'm not as young as I look. But if I have the hair of you three, I will always look beautiful. So, do we have a deal?"

Nami and Robin hesitated, but would have agreed, for they loved their brother very much. But Vivi, though she was sometimes clumsy and too kind, was a clever mermaid.

"Oh, but the hair you have now is already so luxurious! And it looks so silky soft, as well!"

Kureha reached up to run her fingers through her hair and muttered, "It _is_ quite soft, now that you mention it… You really think it's luxurious?"

"Oh, yes," Vivi nodded quickly. "It's very beautiful! You don't look a day over twenty!"

Kureha leaned her head back and cackled heartily. She lifted her bottle and pointed it at the blue-haired princess.

"You know what? I like you. All right, you can all keep your hair."

Nami cheered and Robin gave her young sister a grateful smile.

"So let's talk cash."

Nami's expression turned cold as ice and Vivi, squeaking in fear, hid behind Robin. She could only hope that saving Sanji would delay the receiving of her sister's wrath.

Prince Zoro, ignoring the sound of Usopp calling after him, made a swift escape from the marriage madness, climbing over the castle walls and heading down to the beach. He just had to get away. It seemed like he never had a moment alone. There was always something to be done. His suit had to be made, the flowers had to be bought, the cake had to be made, the invitations had to be approved; everyone was asking for his input, for his advice. He didn't want any part in it. He didn't even want to be married. But what could he do? He had to ascend to the throne at some point, after all, and he didn't have an excuse for not marrying the princess Tashigi. At least, he didn't have an excuse that would be accepted.

He'd been so busy that he hadn't trained in days, and it seemed like it had been forever since he spent time with his silent companion. So he couldn't help the small smile that graced his face when he saw the other man walking along the shore, in the same spot he'd first met him, two weeks ago.

"Oi!" He called in greeting as he picked up his pace, just a little bit, and came to stand beside him. "What are you doing out here?"

Sanji shrugged and gestured to the sea. He'd come to the shore, hoping that Chopper and Franky would show up. He hadn't seen them in such a long time. Zoro looked out at the water and didn't say anything for a while. When he did speak, his voice was a quiet rumble, very different from the somewhat gruff and straightforward way he usually talked.

"I fell overboard once, during a storm. The water was crazy and I got disoriented…almost drowned. Someone saved me." He stopped when he noticed his friend's body go very tense. "What's wrong?" He shook his head, and after a pause, Zoro went on. "I don't know who it was, though. I was unconscious. When I started to come to, there was this pain in my chest, and I figured I'd died… But then I heard this voice saying, 'Shitty marimo'."

Sanji jerked a bit with restrained laughter, but managed to sober up quickly.

"I don't know what that was supposed to mean. When I sat up and looked, there was no one there." He stopped talking and fell into silence once more. After a few minutes, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, aggravated. "I don't know why I told you that. It wasn't what I wanted to say."

Sanji's eyes widened a bit when Zoro turned his head to look at him, his eyes dark and searching. The moment felt far too serious for Sanji, so he kicked him.

Usopp came for Zoro eventually, and Sanji was left alone on the beach. He didn't know what to make of what the prince had said. He was pleased that Zoro had remembered his voice, though he wished he'd said something other than "shitty marimo", which wasn't all that romantic.

More than anything, he wanted to know what Zoro had wanted to say.

He was sitting on the shore, letting the waves wash over his bare feet, when three very beautiful, very familiar figures broke the water's surface.

"Sanji!" His sisters' voices sounded like the loveliest music in his ears, his face lighting up with pure joy at the sight of them.

He opened his mouth to speak to them, but his brow creased in frustration when he remembered he couldn't.

"It's okay, Sanji," Vivi soothed. "We know you're happy to see us."

"We have something for you," Robin said, holding her hands out from underneath the water to hand him something wrapped in seaweed.

Carefully—since any gift from his sisters was precious—Sanji folded back the seaweed wrapping to see a shiny, gem-encrusted dagger.

"It's a magic dagger from the sea witch," Nami explained. "You can turn back into a merman, return to the sea and stay with us again, if—if…"

"If you use it to kill the prince," Robin finished solemnly.

Sanji's heart almost stopped. Vivi looked at him sadly and reached out to place her hand over his, comfortingly.

"We know you love him, Sanji, but please, consider it, at least. We don't want to lose you for nothing."

Sanji nodded and, after receiving sweet kisses on his cheek, watched as the three sparkling fins disappeared under the water.

Sanji kept the dagger hidden beneath his bed and on the night before the wedding—after seeing Zoro only twice by that time and not getting _any_ closer to being kissed by him—he took it out and tucked it into his pocket, before making his way, sneakily, to the prince's room. He opened the door slowly and, finding Zoro asleep on his bed, entered the bedchamber, bare feet making close to no noise on the floor. He paused when he reached the edge of the bed, unsure of his next move. He reached into his pocket, felt out the hilt of the dagger, hesitated a moment or two, and finally pulled it out. Using the flexibility and balance he'd gotten with his human legs, he managed to climb onto the bed, knees on either side of the prince's waist, while still managing to keep from actually touching Zoro's body. He gripped the dagger, pointed it down at the prince's chest, and…and…didn't do anything. He _couldn't_ do anything. He knew, when he accepted the potion, that there was a very good chance Zoro might not have fallen for him. He had taken that chance, and he wasn't going to punish Zoro for something he decided all on his own.

Blinking back the annoyingly hot and bitter tears that stung at the corners of his eyes, he returned the dagger to his pocket and made a move to climb off—but there were suddenly strong hands holding him in place.

"What are you doing?"

Sanji stared down at him, eyes wide with surprise, and the embarrassment of getting caught making his face flush. Zoro's stare was hard, but also confused, and he looked like he was actually waiting for an answer, even though Sanji couldn't give him one. He moved his hands up Sanji's arms, over his shoulders and up his neck, to touch the blond hair that fell around his face. Sanji felt his entire body go warm and he jerked away from the touch on instinct, jumped off the bed, heedless of the "wait!" that sounded after him as he went, running through the corridors, running, running, until his feet touched sand, and he gripped the sand in his hands angrily, yelling without words, without sound, as the sun started to slowly rise.


	7. Part X

**X.**

It was the morning of the wedding and everyone in the palace was getting ready for the ceremony. The guests were being welcomed, the flowers were beautiful and sweet-smelling, the cooks were putting the finishing touches on the huge and extravagant cake…and Prince Zoro was missing.

"Where are we going?" Zoro snapped at the blond who had his wrist in a vice grip and was pulling him down the path to the ocean. "The beach? Do we have to do this now? Not that I have a problem with it, but if you get in trouble, I'm not going to help you out—and what is going _on_ with you?"

Sanji frowned determinedly and tugged harder at the prince's wrist. He needed to make Zoro realize who he was. He needed to do this before he ceased to existence as nothing more than the white foam that decorated the ocean's waves. He needed to make Zoro understand before he lost the chance forever.

Once they reached the shore, Sanji took a deep breath, and then promptly kicked Zoro into the water.

"Shit!" Zoro coughed and tried to wipe water out of his eyes, his suit thoroughly soaked. "What the hell—"

Sanji didn't give him a chance to ask. He grabbed Zoro's shoulders and pushed him back down, keeping him there as long as possible before Zoro's strength kicked in and he knocked the other man off of him, trying not to audibly gasp for air. But Sanji didn't let that stop him, because he needed Zoro to remember that night. He shoved at the prince so he could move to straddle him, securing a good hold with his legs. Zoro growled and rolled them over, making sure Sanji got good and wet too, making sure he wasn't the only one with salt water in his hair and mouth. Sanji, acting on instinct, thrust up against him. Zoro, taken aback, was knocked once again onto his back and he gripped, hard, at the damp clothes of the man on top of him. Water from his blond hair dripped onto his face, onto his parted lips, and his eyes were blazing with a determined fury that the prince had never seen before. He couldn't hold back anymore. He knew that he was supposed to be getting married. He knew that it seemed like the other man was trying to drown him. He knew that it was, indeed, another man above him. But in that moment, he didn't care.

He reached up and grabbed the man's wet hair, leaned up, and crushed their mouths together in a bruising kiss.

It wasn't what Sanji was aiming for. It wasn't what he'd wanted the prince to do. He wanted him to do understand, and he knew he didn't, and that made him angry, so he kissed him back with all the passion that that anger could produce.

"Shitty marimo," he muttered when they parted, and Zoro paused for only a second as the words sunk in, and then he was kissing him again.

"Sire! Sire, what are you doing in the water with—" Usopp's words caught in his throat as he took in the sight before him. "S-Sire? Sire! _Sire_?!"

"_What_?!" Zoro snapped—and Sanji was slightly grateful for that, as it gave him a chance to breathe. "What do you want?!"

"Y-Your wedding, sire," Usopp reminded him.

"Call it off."

"But, sire, what should I _say_?"

"Make something up. You're good at making up stories." And with that, he returned to much more pressing matters, rolling them over so he could have better access to the other man's mouth.

"But sire, the guests, and the—the princess, and there's a…a seagull eating the cake…" Usopp let his voice trail off and sighed, resigning to the fact that the prince making out with the blond man in the water was most certainly _not_ going to be getting married today. And he now had a castle full of restless guests to deal with.

A seagull, with blue icing staining his beak, flew over the water, squawking happily. And beneath the waves of All Blue, Chopper and Franky heard him and they rejoiced. They shared the news with the king and the three princesses. King Zeff was very relieved and the waters were calmer and easier than they had ever been; and the princesses threw a big party. And in her lair, the sea witch Kureha chuckled around the lip of a new bottle.

And far above them, in the shallow, salty water, Sanji and Zoro kissed like there was no tomorrow. And they stayed that way, limbs tangling, hearts pounding, until the sun set.

And they lived happily, violently, and passionately, ever after.


End file.
